CFTC to Host Cryptocurrency CEO Forum to Discuss Digital Asset Market Pilot Program

June 18 — Multiple institutions expect the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged at its upcoming policy meeting, though there’s significant divergence on the future rate path. The market’s focus is on whether the Fed will remove dovish-biased language from its post-meeting statement and how new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will approach policy communication. On the "hold" side: Moody’s sees the Fed as unlikely to cut rates in the near term, with its baseline scenario calling for rates to stay flat all year. It notes a potential shift to rate hikes could come if inflation expectations continue to rise. Nomura Securities forecasts the Fed will hold rates steady through 2026. JPMorgan believes rates will remain unchanged for the rest of this year, with the policy stance likely transitioning from dovish to neutral. Wells Fargo states there’s little reason for the Fed to act unless the labor market overheats significantly or the inflation outlook deteriorates further. BNY Mellon expe

On June 18, according to Bitget market data, the three major U.S. stock indexes delivered mixed performances. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.31%, while the S&P 500 edged down 0.09% and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.10%. Cryptocurrency-linked stocks posted broad gains, with individual changes as follows: Robinhood (HOOD) surged 12.36%; American Bitcoin (ABTC) rose 6.73%; Gemini (GEMI) gained 5.52%; Circle (CRCL) advanced 3.54%; Bitmine (BMNR) climbed 2.28%; Coinbase (COIN) added 2.06%; Sharplink (SBET) notched a 1.88% increase.

On June 18, Dragonfly General Partner Haseeb Qureshi posted a message revealing he’d long believed the divide between open-source and closed-source AI models would widen—fueled by data discrepancies, hardware gaps, and growing constraints around distillation. That assessment, however, was off. Smart Spectrum Z.ai has moved to another tier entirely: its model benchmark testing is performing exceptionally well, and it’s drawing strong early user feedback. Qureshi added that he’s currently running his Hermes Agent on GLM 5.2 via the AskVenice API, and he’ll share his full user experience thoughts later.

On June 18, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. would provide a $300 billion fund only if Iran "does things right," adding Iran’s reconstruction would take 15 to 20 years. Trump noted frozen Iranian funds belong to Iran and that Washington would return the money to Tehran at some point. He also claimed the U.S. dollar has grown significantly stronger during his tenure, warning failing to return the funds would be detrimental to the greenback, and that the U.S. reserves would run out in about four weeks. Source: FX168

June 18 — U.S. President Trump delivered a speech Wednesday following the conclusion of the G7 summit in France, defending the agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran. He expressed reluctance to see the Middle East conflict continue, fearing it could spark an economic disaster. Speaking at the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains in France, Trump said: “The last thing I want to see is a financial disaster. If this conflict persists, such a scenario is entirely possible.” Trump also stated he does not want to end up like Herbert Hoover. In October 1929, Hoover was serving as U.S. president during the U.S. stock market crash. That crash wiped out billions of dollars in wealth and ultimately triggered the economic crisis later known as the Great Depression. (FXStreet)

June 18th: U.S. President Trump says he believes Israel will be satisfied with the Iran deal. (Forex Live)